The study also found that 95% of job adverts do not disclose any form of salary information.
The research, conducted by workforce solutions provider Resource Solutions, found companies failed to be transparent in terms of salary, benefits and remote working options.
Meanwhile, 76% of online job applications required candidates to create a new user account, doubling the application time on average.
More on recruitment:
Complex hiring processes are losing talent
Ghosting on the rise in recruitment
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James Atchison-Wootton, practice lead at RSConsultancy, Resource Solutions, said that an overcomplicated hiring process could damage companies’ ability to recruit.
Speaking to HR magazine, he said: “There is no denying that if a company’s application process is unnecessarily time-consuming, prospective candidates will lose interest and look elsewhere.”
Atchison-Wootton pointed to the imbalance in job ads, where companies ask candidates to provide a lot of personal information but are not open about the role being advertised in return.
He added: “Companies that are not transparent right from the start risk seeing candidates drop out mid-process if the compensation packages don’t align with expectations."
This is amid a well-documented skills shortage, which sees power dynamics in the job market shifting in the favour of candidates.
Jill Cotton, career trends expert at jobs website Glassdoor, said that ghosting candidates can damage a company's reputation and risks discouraging top candidates.
Speaking to HR magazine, she said: “Job seekers want transparency in the interview process, and even if the answer is a ‘no’ the communication will leave the candidate still feeling more positive about their experience and in turn, the employer.”
